Conflict Resolution 101
by Glory1863
Summary: Malcolm may be chief of security, but there are still a few things he needs to learn about fair fighting. Trip is just the one to teach him. Sequel to Pennyforum's Travis's Birthday Party by permission.


Many thanks to Pennyforum for allowing me to write a sequel to her story _Travis's Birthday Party, _especially since she had written one herself called _The Morning After._ These are wonderful, gentle and very funny looks at Trip and Malcolm's relationship. If you haven't read them yet, then by all means do! Being more into angst myself, at least as far as writing goes, I just couldn't leave things alone. I figured there would be way more trouble in paradise when the boys sobered up and that Trip got let off the hook a bit too easily. On the other hand, I've been told I've turned Trip into too much of a wimp. I'd love to hear what you all think. I hope you enjoy this. Pennyforum, I hope you approve.

Conflict Resolution 101

"Oh, Gawd!" Trip moaned as he slowly came awake. He knew he was in trouble. He'd partied hardy at Travis's birthday bash the night before, and now he was paying for it. His stomach was so queasy that he was sure he was going to throw up. His head felt like it was ready to explode and so did his bladder. His eyes fluttered open and were met with blinding light. "Mal, didn't I tell ya not to play with your phase pistol in the house? Take it outside!" he whined. Obviously, Trip was neither fully awake nor fully sober yet.

He lay quietly for a few more minutes in the vain hope that his body would settle down. When that didn't happen, his bladder being particularly noncompliant, he reluctantly opened his eyes again and realized that the only light in the room came from his clock which read 0600. "Damn!" he muttered. He and Malcolm didn't have to be on duty until 1330. He struggled to get out of bed, his limbs being inexplicably tangled in the bed linens. He moved slowly across his quarters toward the bathroom, mostly by feel as he didn't want to turn on the lights and wake Malcolm. In the process though, he tripped over something and another curse escaped his lips, somewhat louder this time. When he finally finished in the bathroom - he counted himself lucky that when he did throw up he didn't pass out and drown in the toilet - he quietly crept back to bed and managed to avoid whatever he had tripped over before. He was rearranging the bed linens and making ready to snuggle up against Malcolm when he made the shocking discovery that Malcolm wasn't there. In fact, Malcolm's side of the bed was cold. He hadn't been there for quite awhile. "Oh, hell!" Trip knew he was **really** in trouble now.

He gave up on getting any more sleep and turned up the lights. It didn't appear that Malcolm had left him a message explaining where he's gone oft to, but then, he hadn't really expected one. He had a pretty good idea where his lover was. Whenever Trip said or did anything that really ticked Malcolm off, Malcolm moved back to his own quarters, avoided Trip as much as he could (and still perform his duties) and pretty much gave him the silent treatment which he knew Trip found particularly hurtful. "Great! All I have to do is figure out how I screwed up **now**. I wonder how long it'll be 'fore he lets me apologize **this** time?" Trip said to the empty room.

Trip dearly loved Malcolm, but he had to admit that his partner's way of dealing with their misunderstandings was starting to really get on his nerves. _"Why can't he just tell me what's botherin' 'im? Sure, I can usually figure it out, but not always. We're adults. Why can't we sit down and discuss things rationally without all the drama first?"_

While he was being honest with himself, Trip also had to admit that while he was afraid Malcolm might decide not to come back, he was even more afraid that if this "break up to make up" cycle didn't stop, then eventually **he** wouldn't want to take Malcolm back. The thought really saddened him. Malcolm was gorgeous, smart, funny, caring and loving. He was strong and yet vulnerable, a fascinating dichotomy. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah! One other thing: Mal was erotic. Oh, was he ever! Amongst other things, Mal could kiss like nobody else!

Kiss! A memory stirred. Trip remembered kissing Malcolm at the party. They'd fed one another luscious, gooey pastries. Chef had really outdone himself. Trip was pretty sure he hadn't smashed one into Malcolm's face, but he had licked some errant streaks of chocolate off his lips and from about his mouth which somehow had led to a long, deep, passionate kiss. Would that have upset Malcolm enough to cause him to leave without a word in the dark of night? They'd been teased a bit, sure, but nothing cruel. They'd been off duty and among friends and they hadn't been hiding their relationship for a long time. No, there had to be something else, and yet he couldn't get "kiss" out of his mind.

Trip had eventually managed to shave, shower, get dressed and haul himself down to the mess hall for some much needed strong black coffee. Malcolm was nowhere to be seen. Trip filled the biggest mug he could find and took it to a table in a back corner as far from the hubbub by the entrance as he could get. It wasn't far enough to avoid detection by Hoshi, though.

"Hi, Trip. How's the party animal this morning?" Hoshi asked brightly.

"Give me a break, will ya, Hosh? You're **way** too perky for this hour of the mornin'," Trip protested.

"Poor baby!" Hoshi smirked. "How's Malcolm?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Don't know. Haven't seen 'im yet." Trip tried to sound as if he hadn't a care in the world, but he couldn't fool Hoshi.

"I was afraid of that. He's walked out on you again, hasn't he?" Hoshi asked gently. There was no trace of a smirk now.

There was no sense even trying to lie. "Yeah, he has. Look, Hosh, I'm a little fuzzy 'bout what went on last night. Would ya give me a hand sortin' it out? I need to know what I did so I can go apologize - if he'll let me."

"Sure, Trip. What do you remember?"

"Well, I remember feedin' 'im somethin' chocolate. I remember kissin' him. I guess we kinda put on a show, but I didn't think it would make Mal **that** mad." Trip caught the look on Hoshi's face. "What?"

"Do you remember anything else?"

"I remember thinkin' what a great kisser Mal is. Ya know, I've been 'round the block a time or two so I got a basis for comparison, and Mal is the best." If Trip had been a cartoon character, then a light bulb would have gone on above his head. "Oh, no! Tell me I didn't! Lie if ya have to, Hosh, but please tell me I didn't!"

"Tell you you didn't what, Trip?" Hoshi asked with a slight smile.

"Offer ya'll a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be kissed by Mal." From the look on Hoshi's face, Trip knew that was exactly what he'd done. "Gawd, how could I be so stupid!" Trip knocked his head against the table a couple times. "So did anybody take me up on it?"

"Liz."

"Oh, great! Ethan's gonna be ticked."

"I believe that's why he broke out the Andorian ale. He knows you have a fondness for it and that it packs quite a wallop. I'd say he's gotten his revenge based on that alone."

"Who else?"

"Phlox."

"Oh, hell! The doc's a good guy an' all, but that tongue! Anybody else?"

"Just Travis."

"Oh, jeez, Hosh, I'm sorry!" Against his better judgment, Trip just couldn't refrain from asking, "What about you?"

"No way! As unofficial hostess, I was still nursing my first drink, so I guess the offer just didn't have the appeal it might otherwise have had. Besides, I kept thinking of Yoko Ono."

"Yoko Ono? Why?" Trip was truly mystified.

"Everybody blamed her for breaking up the Beatles. I didn't want to go through life with everyone pointing at me and whispering behind my back, 'That's Hoshi Sato. She broke up the Disaster Twins.'"

"Very funny, Hosh! Man, I'm surprised Mal hasn't killed me already!"

"Well, Trip, as you pointed out, it's early yet." Hoshi was laughing now.

"Aw, come on, Hosh, this is serious! How am I gonna convince 'im I'm sorry so he'll take me back? I don't wanna lose him! I love 'im!"

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Trip." Trip looked so miserable that Hoshi decided to take pity on him. "Just never forget where he's coming from. Oh, and Trip, you might want to think about the times he's left you and if there's any pattern to them."

Now that he knew what he'd done, Trip tried day after day to get Malcolm to see him privately so he could apologize, but to no avail. Malcolm was coldly correct while on duty, but off duty, he'd gone so far as to send Trip a message reminding him that Ensigns Smith and Morton were the senior security officers for Beta and Gamma shifts respectively and that according to protocol, they were to be contacted for any security needs during those time periods. If anything came up that required his personal attention, they would notify him. Otherwise, he wished to be left alone.

On the seventh day after Travis's birthday party, Trip was headed down the corridor toward the turbolift when he saw Malcolm come out of his quarters. "Mal," he called. Malcolm moved on as if he'd heard nothing.

_"OK," _Trip thought, _"So maybe Mal didn't hear me or didn't want to be called by his nickname." _"Malcolm," he called a bit louder, but again got no response.

Malcolm was almost to the turbolift when two other crewman came into the corridor. Trip hated what he was about to do, but Malcolm had given him no choice. "Lieutenant Reed, I'd like a word with ya, please."

Malcolm slowed, and Trip knew his feelings were battling his training. His training won - he couldn't be seen to be disrespectful toward a senior officer - just as Trip had expected. Malcolm slowly turned to face him. He crossed his arms over his chest in a classic defensive pose. "Is there something I can do for you, Commander?" The words were cold, clipped and correct.

Trip waited to speak until he was directly in front of Malcolm. Nobody else needed to hear this. "Malcolm, we need to talk. Observation lounge, 1730, be there."

"Is that an order, sir?" Despite his frosty tone, Malcolm's eyes were blazing.

"If that's what it takes, Lieutenant, then yes, that's an order, and unless we're bein' chased by some giant squid-like creature that thinks we're supper, or some such thing, I don't wanna hear any excuses 'bout why you ain't there. Am I clear?"

"As crystal, sir. Is there anything else, sir?" Malcolm's voice was a good 10 degrees colder.

Trip sighed. "No, Malcolm, that's all." Malcolm nodded curtly and wordlessly performed a perfect about-face and entered the turbolift just as the door closed.

At 1735, a very apprehensive Trip entered the observation lounge and was somewhat relieved to see Malcolm staring out the port, but his estranged lover failed to acknowledge his presence in any way. "Malcolm, this has gotta stop!"

Malcolm turned to face Trip and was clearly furious. "You pull rank on me just so you can get me here and dump me, Commander?"

"I pulled rank on ya 'cause it was the only way I could get ya here so I could apologize to ya, not dump ya. Look, Malcolm, I'm sorry I was a world-class jerk the other night. I love ya, and the last thing I wanna do is break up with ya, but if we don't stop this 'break up to make up' cycle, then that's what's gonna happen. It's corrosive, Mal, like drippin' acid on hull plating. Eventually, ya get a breach. We keep doin' this and sooner or later one of us isn't gonna take the other back. Is that what ya want, Mal?"

"You obviously didn't care what I wanted at Travis's birthday party, yet I'm to believe you care what I want now? You acted like a world-class bastard and now you expect me to smile politely and thank you for it?"

"No, Mal. You're right. I was a jerk. Ya got a right to be mad."

"Well, thank you ever so much, Commander. How magnanimous of you! And just what has become of the apology you ostensibly lured me here to receive? I still haven't heard one"

"Malcolm, would ya just let me explain, please? I had a really rough afternoon in Engineering. One of the injectors went bad, the intermix ratio was all over the place, and it took well into Beta shift to fix it. I was lucky to make the party. I didn't make it to supper so that little pastry thing ya fed me was the first thing I'd had to eat since lunch. I'd had a couple three beers by then so I guess I was a little 'overserved.' I was happy to be with ya and happy not to hide that we were together. When I kissed ya - well, Mal, ya kiss like nobody else! I wanted everybody to know the good thing I have in ya. One chance only, though. I didn't want anybody gettin' any ideas."

"Do you have even the vaguest idea about how imbecilic that sounds?" Malcolm was clearly not impressed.

"Well, yeah, I guess, " Trip mumbled. "But that don't mean it ain't true. 'Bout ya bein' a good thing and a great kisser, I mean. Besides, Mal, ya could have just said 'no'."

"I was under the impression I had, several times in fact. I warned you that you were about to say something you'd regret. I told you I didn't want that kind of recognition. I told you I wasn't interested in kissing anyone but you. I told you that I felt I was being coerced. Bloody hell! I did everything but draw pictures. What part of 'no' didn't you understand?"

"A lotta times ya say 'no', but eventually it turns into 'yes.' I remember when no, ya didn't like parties, and no, ya didn't want anybody to know about us, but now ya do." For once, Trip didn't miss the warning look Malcolm gave him. "Well, at least until the other night," he admitted sheepishly.

Trip didn't stay on the defensive for long, though. "How was I to know ya meant it this time? Look, Mal, ya got a lotta other erotic talents. What if I'd picked one of them? Would ya have just gone along with it then, too?"

"Certainly not!" Malcolm didn't blush at this. Instead, he was white with anger. "I would have walked out on you then and there. I might even have struck a superior officer. What's happened to your apology, Commander? Why is this suddenly all **my** fault?"

"It's **not** your fault, Mal. I'll say it again: I was a major jerk. I shouldn't have done it. I obviously wasn't thinkin' straight. I'm sorry, I really am. But I still don't understand why you weren't more forceful in sayin' no when what ya **were** sayin' wasn't makin' an impression on me. I mean, if ya knew ya were gonna walk out on me anyway over it . . ." Trip threw his hands up in frustration. "Mal, would ya please help me understand what ya were thinkin' here?"

Malcolm closed his eyes for a moment. He needed to be calm enough to make a decision, a very important decision, and then needed to gather together all his courage to actually do whatever he decided.

"Trip, I've allowed you to matter to me, to become very important to me, actually. That's not something I find easy to do. It wasn't anything that I'd planned to do, in fact, but it's happened. Now that it has, I don't want to lose you. I'm afraid that if I refuse you too often, you'll discard me."

"But Mal, you're the one who always walks away." The pain in Malcolm's voice registered with Trip, but the incongruity between his words and his actions were as mystifying to him as his had been to Malcolm.

"Not always," Malcolm cut in. "When the Xindi attack killed your sister, you pushed me away. You did every hurtful thing you could think of to rid yourself of me."

"I know I did, Mal. We've talked 'bout this. Ya know why I did it. Ya know I'm sorry. Ya know I'll never do that to ya again. It was the worst time of my life!"

"Look, Mal, instead of isolatin' yourself when I tick ya off, ya need to talk to me 'bout it. Sure, take a little while to calm down and get your thoughts together, but talk to me. When ya sit and stew in your own juice, ya always make it worse than it is. Ya go from thinkin' I'm a jerk - which I usually am, I admit it - to thinkin' I did it on purpose to hurt ya, to thinkin' that means I want to dump ya. Hell, I'm usually too busy just tryin' to figure out what I did wrong and how I'm gonna make it right to think 'bout dumpin' ya." Trip tried a lopsided grin. It didn't work.

"Oh, so now you're the voice of reason, Mr. Mouth Goes to Warp While Brain is Still on Impulse?"

"Mal, I've been tryin', OK? Have ya noticed lately that when things start gettin' a little heated between us professionally, I kinda take a timeout and get back to ya later? I know if I let it get outta hand, then I'm gonna pay when I get home, and I don't want that."

"Actually, I thought you were giving me the brush off, but now that you mention it, you do seem to have been getting back to me in a more or less timely fashion and been much more reasonable. Our work environment has improved. I beg your pardon, Commander."

Trip silently appraised Malcolm for a long moment. He was clearly distressed and seemed to be weighing something in his mind, unsure if what he was about to do next was a good idea. "Mal, 'bout what you said earlier 'bout not wantin' to say 'no' to me too often - I need to ask ya somthin' and I'd really appreciate a straight answer."

"Do you think I'd lie to you?" Malcolm asked testily, his mercurial temperament having changed once again.

"Ya haven't heard the question yet, Mal, but lie to me - no. Sugarcoat it a bit - maybe. So please don't sugarcoat it, OK?"

"In case you haven't noticed - and obviously you haven't - at the moment, I'm not inclined to sugarcoat anything when it comes to you."

"OK, then." Trip was clearly miserable. He keep his eyes glued to the floor. "Mal, when we've been in bed, have I ever asked ya to do somethin' . . ." The question just sort of died on Trip's lips. After a slight pause, he tried again. "Have ya ever said 'yes' when ya didn't want . . ." Again the question died. Trip took a deep breath. He had to get this out. He had to know just how despicable his behavior toward his lover had been, how far beyond the faux pas at Travis's party he'd gone, if their current fight was really about something else, something deeper, something unforgivable. He figured Malcolm probably knew what he was trying to get at and wasn't going to lift a finger to help him. Why the hell should he? With a gulp he finally blurted it out, "When we've been makin' love, Mal, have I ever asked ya to do something ya really didn't want to, but ya did anyway just to placate me, and then felt used afterward?" Trip knew he had to look at Malcolm no matter how awful the answer. When he raised his head, there were tears in his eyes.

"Good lord, no! Trip, our lovemaking has never made me feel anything other than cherished. That's why I keep coming back to you, I suppose, and why I don't want to lose you." Malcolm's eyes were wide and shone with a few unshed tears of their own. He realized Trip was finally "getting it", and the anger that he had held on to and nursed for the past week evaporated.

"Trip, I love you. I have never felt this way about anyone before and actually had the feeling returned, but you frighten me sometimes. Being with you is like being with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I never know which one I'll get - the man who loves and values me or the man who leads me down the garden path into embarrassment and trouble. Trip, you have to understand. When you pull stunts like you did on Risa or at Travis's birthday party, you put my career at risk, and my career is all I have."

"Darlin', I think you're selling yourself a bit short, there, but I hear ya. When Hoshi was helpin' me remember what went on at Travis's party - the embarrassment I caused ya - and I asked her how I could make it right with ya, she reminded me never to forget where you're comin' from. You gave up everything to join Starfleet, and you've worked your tail off to get where ya are. Ya don't need me actin' like a jackass and messin' it all up for ya. I love ya, Mal, and I promise to do better by ya if you'll give me the chance."

Malcolm favored Trip with the little half-smile that made him melt. "I suspect there have been times when you weren't sure whether you were getting Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde either. I seem to recall going off in - what's your favorite word for it? - a snit a few times when you'd done nothing more than remind me of someone else, somewhere else, sometime else. You had no way of knowing beforehand, no way to prevent doing so, because I'd never warned you. I'm sorry, Trip."

"Upon careful consideration, perhaps this conflict resolution plan of yours isn't such a bad idea after all. Let me see, the rules are," Malcolm counted them off on his fingers as he stated them, "first, it's OK to get mad; second, neutral corners for a short, repeat **short**, time period to get one's ducks in a row; third, serious discussion of the problem at hand; and fourth, stay on task, no extraneous issues."

"That's pretty much it, Mal. Can we do that, please?"

"Yes."

"No more walkin' out? No more silent treatment?"

"No."

"Mal, there's one more thing ya need to know." Malcolm would have thought that Trip would have been pleased by his acceptance of the "fair fighting" pact, but he could tell that Trip was uncomfortable again. He wondered what was coming next.

"Just so ya know, I ain't expecting ya to be the one that does all the changin', Mal. You've trusted me with some deep, dark, Reed family secrets, and now I'm gonna tell ya one of the Tuckers'."

"You're under no obligation, Trip."

"Ya haven't actually said you're takin' me back yet, Mal. Ya might want to hear this 'fore ya decide."

"All right. Fire when ready, Mr. Tucker."

"When I was tryin' to figure out how to get ya back, Hoshi also told me I needed to see if there was a pattern to the times when ya walked out on me. She was right. It wasn't just that I'd done or said somethin' stupid. It was also that I'd had too much to drink 'fore I did it or said it. Truth be told, the Tucker men have a history of drinkin' problems. Grandma Tucker actually threw Grandpa out for awhile until he did somethin' 'bout it. When I was little, Momma threatened to pack us kids up and move in with Grandma if Daddy didn't do somethin' 'bout it. I figured I'd beat the curse. I figured I didn't have a problem with alcohol. I didn't drink in the mornin'. I didn't drink at work. I didn't miss work on account of bein' drunk. I didn't go drivin' or flyin' if I'd been drinkin'. I didn't miss it none when there ain't any around."

"Well, Daddy set me straight pretty damn fast. He ain't one for beatin' 'round the bush. He asked me, 'Son, is your drinkin' hurtin' Malcolm? Do ya still love 'im? 'Cause if the answers are both yes, then all them other things don't matter none. If your drinkin's hurtin' Malcolm and ya love 'im, then ya got a drinkin' problem and the sooner ya realize it and do somethin' 'bout it, the better.'"

"Malcolm, I'm tellin' ya I got a drinkin' problem just like my Daddy and Grandpa. I'm seein' Phlox, and I've let Hoshi know I'd appreciate havin' coffee or pop around at any of the ship's celebrations. But this don't ever go away, Mal. Grandpa and Daddy have both fallen off the wagon a time or two, and I figure I ain't any better'n them. If ya don't want the grief, Mal, I understand."

"Trip, let's just take it a day at a time, OK? I'll try to remember to fight fair the next time I feel like having a snit and you'll try to keep from sniffing the cork. Agreed?"

"Deal, Mal. You really are the best! So does that mean you're comin' home with me?"

"That all depends, Mr. Tucker."

"On what, Mal?" Trip asked warily. He didn't notice the amusement in Malcolm's eyes.

"I believe you said the 'break up to make up' cycle had to end. Must we really give up on the 'make up' part?"

"Hell no, Mal! We just don't need all the angst first!" Trip laughed.

Later that evening as Trip and Malcolm cuddled in bed, Trip invited Malcolm to Movie Night. "I thought I'd show a James Bond movie for Movie Night. Ya wanna go, Mal?"

"Sounds lovely. Which one did you choose?"

Trip was about to answer but suddenly thought better of it. Damn, this could get him in trouble and he'd only just gotten Malcolm back.

"Trip, love, didn't you hear me? Which one did you pick?"

Trip tightened his embrace of Malcolm. "Mal, ya know the Bond movies all have popular songs associated with 'em don't ya?"

"I'm aware of that, yes, but I really don't pay close attention. Which movie did you pick, Trip?"

"Now, Mal, don't ya go gettin' upset. I swear I chose it for the song. I'm not makin' any comments 'bout what ya used to do for Starfleet 'fore ya joined the _Enterprise_." Anyone who was unaware of the week of hell Trip had just gone through would have found his distress almost comical.

"What's the name of the movie, Trip?" Malcolm sounded like he was running out of patience.

"_The Spy Who Loved Me." _Trip cringed. He had visions of Malcolm locking him out of his own quarters after calling him all sorts of names, none of them nice, and most of which only Hoshi would understand.

"Trip!" Here it comes, Trip thought, but instead Malcolm burst into laughter. "Would I know this song?"

Trip breathed a sigh of relief. "Funny ya should ask, Mal. I got it right here." Trip eased out of his embrace with Malcolm and reached over to hit "play" on the audio device on the nightstand. The voice of Carly Simon filled the room:

_Nobody does it better_

_Makes me feel sad for the rest_

_Nobody does it half as good as you_

_Baby, you're the best_

Now, Malcolm, who was just as happy that Trip had taken him back and had never wanted to give up on the "make up" part of the cycle in the first place, set about doing his utmost to prove Ms. Simon right.


End file.
